In January 2008, I started teaching my first screenwriting course at UNC and immediately hit on a problem: While I could suggest to my students that they use a screenwriting software, I couldn’t require it because some members of the class simply couldn’t afford to buy it. Fortunately just about that time, Scripped.com went online, offering – among other things – a free screenplay formatting system.

Since then, I’ve kept up with Scripped as they’ve grown into… well, instead of me driveling on, let’s hear it directly from someone who knows about the company intimately, Ryan Buckley, the COO of Scripped who kindly agreed to this Q&A:

* What was the inspiration behind Scripped.com?

Zak Freer, one of our three co-founders, is a very talented writer, but lacks the drive to shake all the hands required to make it in Hollywood. We got to thinking that there are probably thousands of other “Zaks” out there, and we wanted to help them along by making screenwriting very accessible. Instead of having to network to find opportunities, we want to bring opportunities to our users, but first that started with access to screenwriting software. That’s why Scripped originally launched as “Google Docs for Screenplays.”

* How many members are there currently in the Scripped community?

We now have about 100,000 screenwriters registered on Scripped.com to use our suite of software, community, and contest submission tools. We grow by 50-100 writers per day and show no signs of slowing down.

* How is Scripped different than other online screenwriting groups?

The biggest difference is the professional screenwriting software we offer. Unlike other screenwriting sites, our tool is embedded directly into the website and our community is built around it. It keeps people coming back, so another differentiating factor is the loyalty and constant activity on our website. The software brings users back to submit to contest, participate in our discussion boards, and make friends with each other.

* Okay, let’s say I’m an aspiring screenwriter living in Minot, North Dakota. How can Scripped help me?

If you’re a screenwriter in North Dakota, you’re probably not accustomed to the crazy business of Hollywood. You have the talent but probably don’t have the connections to really make it in LA. Scripped bridges that gap. We say you don’t need to bus tables at a restaurant in LA just to get your screenplay read by a hot producer. And through the magic of the Internet, you can quickly make some writing buddies simply by getting active and reaching out to members of our community. We help you with connections and inspiration from other writers just like you.

* Scripped has had a number of screenwriting contests in the past. What are some of the notable ones and what contests are you running now and in the near future? In your view, what is the value for a writer entering screenwriting contests?

We recently held a contest sponsored by Steven de Souza – the writer of Die Hard, 48 Hours and Commando. Edward Burns also recently ran a contest with us, and Spike TV just wrapped up a contest for a pilot TV script. We love running these contests mostly because our writers love them. We were originally not going to focus on contests at all, but after running a few of them it became evident that we were onto something. Producers are thrilled with the scripts they get and our writers appreciate the opportunity to get discovered by legitimate Hollywood producers.

* What exactly is “crowd-sourcing” and how does Scripped use that to the benefit of the Scripped community?

Crowdsourcing is a hot new trend across all sectors of business. We apply it to entertainment in the form of our screenplay contests. For example, Spike TV wants a new pilot episode. Rather than having to place a bet on a single writer or writing team in Los Angeles, Scripped allows Spike to tap into the talents of screenwriters from all over the world. Like other crowdsourcing models, only the winning submission is purchased. For everyone else, we give them notes and they retain 100% of the rights to their original submission.

* Like the contest you run with the Spike TV network, do you think there are other innovative ways Scripped can help generate potential paying gigs for screenwriters?

Definitely! We recently started a new monthly contest opportunity for our Pro subscription community. We’re also working on a few other exciting projects, including an opt-in repository of scripts that we’ll invite select, trusted producers and agents to browse and purchase. This product is like an ongoing general contest of rated scripts. We’re always looking for more ways to help writers make money.

* Finally what’s the big picture view of Scripped’s future, say 5-10 years from now?

Well, we’d like to continue to run the business as is and our focus is to provide users with more contest opportunities. Our users have expressed a lot of interests in contests, and they are going to have more great opportunities presented to them on Scripped. Likewise, we will continue to reach out to the production community to harness the talented writers on Scripped.com.

To show you the level of thinking that goes into Scripped, here is Ryan’s bio from the Scripped website:

Ryan Buckley is Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Scripped.com. Ryan holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and was featured as one of Variety Magazine’s top 10 MBAs in Entertainment in 2008. Ryan also holds a Master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and most admires Arnold Schwarzenegger for straddling the worlds of entertainment and politics.

Since Ryan is such a nice guy, I guess I’ll forgive him for that whole Harvard thing. Besides the way I look at it, Scripped is attempting to think outside the box to create points of connection between aspiring screenwriters and various businesses where those writers’ talents can be put to use with actual dollars going into writers’ hands. Nothing wrong with that at all!

I expect that there are many GITS readers who are familiar with Scripped, perhaps some who are active members of that community. If you want to talk up the site, please feel free to do so in comments.